Gentlemen Prefer Spinsters (Spinsters Club Book 1)

Merry and her friends are dissatisfied with the notion of marriage. Married women never get to fulfill their own dreams and are slaves to societal rules and expectations. For this reason, they form ‘The Spinsters Club’. Enter Lord Harcourt Easton, who has designs and plans for Merry, which do not coincide with the rules of The Spinster’s Club. Harcourt has decided that it is time to settle down and he has been in love with Merry for years. What could be easier? As it turns out, almost anything other than taking on ‘The Spinster’s Club.’

“Gentlemen Prefer Spinsters” puts its female characters in control of their destiny. Merry’s defiance of societal expectations towards women should make her and her compatriots strong and compelling characters. However, this is not the case. The characters lack dimension and fail to follow through on the potential contained in the premise. Harcourt comes across as controlling and patronizing, and this diminishes his impact as a romantic lead. While the prose is easy to read, the narrative lacks a cohesive story line. The story hints at a mystery which fails to materialize leading to a disappointing and predictable conclusion.  Ms. Holt devotes a lot of care in transporting the reader to the time and place of her story. Her prose is clear, descriptive and easy to read. The potential in this book series is easy to see and one hopes that further installments fulfill that potential.

Gwenellen Tarbet